An Interview with Pam Higdon – Owner and President of Express Employment Professionals of Durham and Raleigh
I had the opportunity to speak with an entrepreneur who I have admired for quite some time. She is a leader in my chosen profession, Human Resources, and a leader in the community. Her name is Pam Higdon and she is the owner and President of Express Employment Professionals of Durham and Raleigh.
Express logo
I met with Pam on a Friday afternoon at her Raleigh office. I was anxious to hear about her journey to successful entrepreneurship. I quickly learned that business and an entrepreneurial spirit has always been a part of Pam’s life.
Pam grew up in LaFollette, TN, a small town in eastern Tennessee, where her dad owned a grocery store, so she grew up around a family business. She credits her parents with instilling in her a strong work ethic and understanding the importance of relationship building. She remembers the long hours her dad worked at the store and the connection he had with the people in the community. The store’s doors “were always open” for a neighbor to stop by and chat or share the happenings of the day. It was a community grounded in faith, love and support.
I asked Pam how she chose human resources as a profession. She said as a military wife (her husband Sam is retired from the United States Army) she found staffing to be a good career because as her husband was transferred to different locations, she could find a job working at a staffing agency. It is something she was good at, drawing from the foundation developed in her family’s business, she understood relationship building and it aided in her success. Pam started her HR career as a recruiter and worked her way up through the ranks. So when her husband retired from the military in 1997, the couple decided to open their own staffing agency. “I had made a lot of money for other people,” she noted, and she was ready to put her skills to work for her own business.
In an average year Express assists over 900 individuals with finding employment. But it was not an easy path to success. When asked about challenges she faced when establishing her business, Pam shared that she opened her first office in Durham and she and Sam were new to the area. She had to start from ground zero and grow the business. She spent a lot of time in due diligence, making decisions such as whether to franchise or open an independent agency. She decided on a franchise, Express Employment Professionals (www.expresspros.com .) Realizing her strength in networking and relationship building, she began to meet people and became engrained in the community by joining organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, being an active member and serving in leadership roles. And with his military background, Sam’s expertise lay in operations and he concentrated his efforts in that part of the business. In addition to start up concerns, Pam also had some health issues that were a stumbling block for her. But, she considers herself to be “truly blessed” and even in the face of adversity she never gave up.
And now 16 years since opening, Pam has earned numerous awards including the Outstanding Employer award by the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, Express was selected by the Durham Chamber as its Small Business of the Year, and in March of 2005, Pam & Sam Higdon were chosen by Express as 2004 Franchisees of the Year for their committed community involvement, encouragement of others inside and outside the business, and fostering a positive company culture.
Ethics and integrity are the foundation of Pam’s business, and also characteristics that she looks for in associates (individuals she places in positions.) She says it is not so much the level of experience someone has, but more importantly their reliability. The associate has to represent the Express brand well, and Express verifies the associate’s background and ensures that they can do the job requirements before they are placed. An associate is expected to report to work on time and give their best effort. In the same vein, client companies are expected to treat associates fairly and consistently.
Pam reiterates that, “staffing is a relationship job,” once built those relationships have to be nurtured. Express gives back to the community by offering complementary training classes for HR professionals as well as supporting a number of charities including the Children’s Miracle Network (www.childrensmiraclenetworkhospitals.org )
Advice that Pam offers to budding entrepreneurs is:
- Do something that you are passionate about
- If you intend to make an income from it, complete your due diligence
- Take personal ownership of the business and understand the time commitment
- Realize your limitations and find people with skill sets that complement yours
It was a pleasure speaking with Pam and gaining insight into the true meaning of entrepreneurship.
Pam and me at her Raleigh office
